Tips for Fall Flower Garden Maintenance

October 13, 2018 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

Today, I’m sharing fall flower garden maintenance tips. Fall is a busy time in the flower garden. The growing season may be coming to an end, but it’s the perfect time for clean up and other gardening tasks. Use my list of reminders and tips to keep up with your fall garden maintenance and chores. Fall flower garden maintenance will help prepare your garden for winter and anticipation of spring! Check out my other flower gardening tips below.

Flower gardens slow down after frost kills the foliage and knocks down tender plantings. However, flower gardeners find there are still a few seasonal chores to do in the fall:

Dig and Store Tender Bulbs, Corms, Tubers and Rhizomes

Summer bulbs are tender, which means they will not survive cold climate winters outdoors. You can let them freeze to death during the winter and replace them in the spring. Or, you can save them to enjoy next year by digging them up and storing them indoors. For example: Cannas, Dahlias, and Gladiolus can be stored during the winter.

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Cut Back Perennials

Next, trim off frost killed stems and foliage. Leave evergreen basal rosettes and foliage intact.

Leave Seeds as Natural Bird Feed

Furthermore, many birds appreciate the seedy winter snack inside ornamental dried and faded flowers. For example, coneflower and black eyed Susan are great snacks for birds. The plants are easy to tidy up in the spring when they are weather beaten, soft and soggy from months of snow and rain.

Pull Spent Annuals

Nothing looks as sad as dead annuals left over the winter. Pull them up and toss them in the compost pile. Cover the soil with mulch to prevent erosion during the winter.

Fall Weed Control

Cool season annual weeds such as chickweed germinate and grow like crazy during the cooler months. Use a hoe to prevent the weeds from seeding, and smother them with mulch. If problems are severe, you might resort to using a pre-emergent herbicide to prevent them from germinating. Read and follow the label directions.

Mulch Flower Beds Before Winter

Rodents love to nestle in mulch where its fluffy insulation keeps them warm and toasty all winter. Wait until after several hard freezes before you mulch. In most areas, a three inch deep layer is adequate. In severe climates, you may need to spread it as thick as six inches. Also, do not cover the plants. The correct method is to mulch around your plants. Snow is the perfect insulator. In mid winter, after the ground is frozen and there is no snowyu lay evergreen boughs over your plants as well.

Wait Until Late Fall to Protect Roses for Winter

In severe winter areas, hybrid tea roses, tree roses, and climbing roses will need special winter protection. Wait until late fall before protecting the roses for winter. to do that, for now allow the roses to slow their growth naturally in response to the changing season.

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Save Fall Leaves for Compost, Soil Amendment, or Mulch

Also, autumn leaves from deciduous trees are everywhere. Don’t let this seasonal bounty go to waste. Chop the leaves in a chipper/shredder or run over them with your lawn mower. You can also suck them up with a leaf vacuum and crush them. Stockpile these carbon-intensive leaves. They will mix well with green, nitrogen rich material next summer. Most importantly, the leaves alone will break down to yield superb organic soil amendment for flower beds. Or, use them now as mulch.

Subscribe to Gardening Catalogues

Next, send in the information request cards from magazines. Also, visit seed supplier and nursery web sites and register for the tips and catalogues. Study the catalogues over the winter, and get ready to shop for spring.

Finish Planting Spring Bulbs

You can plant spring bulbs (crocus, daffodils, etc.) up until the ground freezes. However, they do better with a little time to root before then.

Enjoy the Fall Flower Garden

Last, many perennials show exceptional fall color. Fall flowers are in many ways the most precious of the gardening year. Take a minute from your fall chores to enjoy the last of the gardening season. Garden maintenance and clean is essential, but is so is savoring the fall colors and scents of from you fall flower garden.

Filed Under: Flower Gardens, Nature-Gardening Tagged With: backyard garden tips, fall gardens, garden cleanup

Tips to Make Your Garden Ready for Winter

October 6, 2016 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

The warm summer is almost over and days of worrying about the drought are gone. Fall and winter, however, are seasons during which your plants are at their most vulnerable. In order to make sure that your garden remains healthy during the cold months, you’re going to need to prepare your garden. Here are some tips on how to prepare your yard for the fall. Be sure to check out my other backyard vegetable gardening tips too.

Cover Crops

Hairy vetch and cereal rye are excellent cover crops. They are a type of plant species that will keep the soil microbes alive and active during cold winters. This will further boost your garden at planting time, which can bring a ton of ease for the next spring. Cover crops are also great at adding organic material to the soil, in addition to helping your garden during the fall and winter. Remember to gently rake the crop seeds into the soil surface, in order to avoid disturbing the standing crops.

Harvest and Preserve

Fall is the perfect time to harvest your storage crops, such as carrots, potatoes and onions and properly cure and put them away for winter. Make sure not to overlook plants such as broccoli side shoots, herbs, and sunflowers. Herbs are particularly easy to dry and freeze, so even a small garden can create a winter-long supply.

Soil PH

Vegetables like acidic soil, so keep this in mind when checking for PH. Yes, dealing with chemistry stuff such as soil acidity does seem somewhat nerdy, but it plays a vital role in in ensuring the success of your crops the next spring. A PH kit or electronic tester can be found easily in most plant nurseries. If your local nursery doesn’t have it, you can always opt for online shopping. Of course, if you don’t like dealing with chemistry, you can look for a company that specializes in gardening services–although you will need to cough up some extra cash. Nothing beats calling the experts, especially if your garden means a great deal to you.

Compost and Manure

Fall is a perfect time for adding sources of organic matter, such as compost and manure to the garden. Adding 1 to 2 inches of soil supplements will ensure that your garden is resupplied with enough nutrients for your plants to weather the cold months. The only thing you need to keep an eye on when adding compost, manure, or any other similar material are weed seeds. Weeds multiply easily and are somewhat adaptable. So even traces of weed seeds can ruin your entire spring. The best way to go is by checking with your supplier!

Pro Tip

It smells, makes you cry, but it’s a brilliant addition to many meals. Garlic is the perfect crop to plant in the fall. Once the temperatures have dropped significantly, yet before the ground freezes, plant garlic. Plant individual cloves, 3 inches deep, spaced 6 to 8 inches between each other. Add a couple of inches of mulch to the bed. Each clove will become a full head by next summer – talk about an investment!

Making sure that your garden is fall-ready comes down to preparation and experience. Applying cover crops, compost and manure, harvesting on time and checking for soil acidity are key factors in keeping your garden healthy. Do this and your garden will thank you once the winter passes!

About the Author: Diana Smith is a full time mom of two beautiful girls simply in love with interior design and DIY projects. In her free time she enjoys exercising and preparing healthy meals for her family.

Filed Under: Nature-Gardening Tagged With: closing gardens, garden cleanup, gardening tips

How to Prepare Your Soil for Next Year’s Garden

September 27, 2016 by Rhonda Gales 2 Comments

Backyard vegetable gardening requires gardeners to prepare for next year’s crops, literally starting from the ground up. The growing season may be coming to an end, but your job as a gardener is far from over. Today, I’m sharing gardening tips on how important garden soil preparation is. We are all aware that a plant’s success begins with the quality of the soil in which it is planted.

Follow these self-sustaining methods to ensure a healthier garden next year:

Tidy Things Up

Clear out dying plant, pesky weeds, and other debris. Uproot vegetables to rid the soil of lingering insects that might be nesting in them. Often times they will lay their eggs in the vines on the surface. If left to rot, the eggs can easily survive through winter and cause issues upon hatching in spring. For composting, it’s okay to save some plants and twigs as long as you’re confident they aren’t hosting any diseases. They make great additions to your compost heap and pass on nutrients to future crops.

Consider Planting a Cover Crop

If you’re like most gardeners, you might long for fresh dirt under your fingernails and a spade in hand. Instead of daydreaming about the first buds of spring, why not create your own hardy winter garden? Be sure to choose plants that root themselves deeply such as Crimson Clover or Winter Rye. Once spring arrives, it’s important to cut these plants short and incorporate them into the soil to halt growth. Allow approximately three weeks for your winter garden to decompose before planting new crops.

Add Plenty of Nutrients

Whether your soil will be vacant for the time being or not, it still requires a bit of care. Look to your compost heap, or even freshly fallen leaves, for all your soil prepping needs. Be sure to dig deep when mixing compost into raised beds for optimal decomposing. Don’t have any compost? No need to fret! Head over to your local supermarket or hardware store to purchase natural fertilizers and/or manure. If you’re in a time crunch consider ordering online from reputable sources, like Nature Safe, for your garden needs. Top off your soil with store-bought mulch or make your own with shredded dry leaves.

By following these steps, you’re well on your way to starting next year’s garden on the right foot. Garden soil preparation is key. So, begin these projects immediately after your final harvest for the best results. Thank yourself for it later when you’re reaping the benefits in spring.

About the writer: Emma is a freelance writer currently living in Boston, MA. She writes most often on education and business. To see more from Emma, say hi on Twitter @EmmaSturgis2

Filed Under: Nature-Gardening, Vegetable Garden Tagged With: garden cleanup, garden compost, gardening

Gardening Accessories You’ll Need This Fall

August 24, 2016 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

Die-hard gardeners know that a good pair of galoshes can turn a rainy day into a productive one in the backyard vegetable garden. However, do not overlook any of the other gardening accessories that can make your yard work easier too. These accessories will come in handy whether you’re harvesting, weeding, planting or cleaning up this fall. We have a few tips below.

Knee Protection
If you suffer with knee pain and standard strap-on knee pads make you uncomfortable and sweaty, try a garden kneeler wave pad instead. This foam-constructed pad not only cushions your knees, but protects them from sharp and rough elements as well. When you’re not gardening, use it around the house while cleaning.

Tool Organizers
When working in the yard, a garden caddy can keep you from stretching and reaching for tools that you use as you go. Plus, it saves time because you won’t have to try to find tools that were placed in the soil in between use. When it is time to tidy up the yard at the end of the season, don’t overlook the importance of a tool storage rack to keep everything in place until the growing season begins again. That way you won’t have to look for everything in the spring. Some racks even come with casters to allow for easy mobility. Make sure the rack you use has a grid bottom. This allows for air circulation and reduces the probability of rusty tools.

A Gardening Apron with Pockets
Even if dirt on your clothes doesn’t bother you or you use a bucket caddy for tools, a gardening apron with pockets comes in handy. The storage pouches work well for harvesting vegetables or fruit, leaving your hands free for other tasks. Additionally, you’ll save time on doing laundry by protecting your clothing, even if you wear separate gardening apparel.

Adjustable Hoes
Whether you use scuffle, draw, push or chopping hoes, your body will benefit from the adjustable kind. Longer hoes cause less back pain, but don’t work too well with raised beds. Adjustable hoes provide the best of both worlds. Plus, every family member can regulate the length of each for their comfort.

Fall is the ideal time to pick up gardening accessories. That’s when many Central Farm and Garden stores have end-of-season sales. Even stores in zones with longer growing seasons lower prices during the cooler months to make room for new inventory. Not only are these accessories beneficial in the fall, they will all benefit garden endeavors during the rest of the year as well.

Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most her time hiking, biking and gardening. For more information contact Brooke via Twitter @BrookeChaplan.

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